Villa Colonnata or Villa Gerini near Florence is not a part of the historical heritage of Carlo Collodi, as one could assume. Literary father of immortal Pinocchio lived much more modestly – in the workshop not far from the Villa, in the town of Sesto Fiorentino (now a suburb of Florence). However, the Villa is a part of "Pinocchio tour" for tourists because here is situated the legendary "Field of Miracles", and also Villa Colonnata inspired Collodi on the fairytale that immortalized his name.
In 1870, the gardener found in the Park of the Villa Gerini a few gold coins, which in the popular imagination quickly turned into 10, then 20, 30 and finally at 1000. Hence the name – "Field of dreams". This slightly glorified popular rumor formed the basis of the narrative about the adventures of a wooden boy
Area of the villa is 3000 sq. m., it consists of 30 rooms, 170 sq. m. living room and large basements. The house has two floors, the tower and the interior chapel. The Villa has a park called "Park of Pinocchio", and a pond with a small island and a cave.
Colonnata is a real monument of Italian culture across the centuries. There are frescoes of the eighteenth century by Giovanni Francesco Mazzuoli, as well as works by Annibale Gatti, Florentine painter of the nineteenth century. The grotto in the living room is made by the sculptor Carlo Marcellini, possibly in collaboration with the architect Antonio Ferri. The facade and possibly the current view of the atrium and stairs belong to the authorship of the architect Giuseppe Poggi.
The price of the villa is €10.5 million
According to the materials of idealista.it and discovery.com
Photocredit idealista.it and freecoloringpages.co.uk